It may be surprising to know that octopuses have beaks not too dissimilar from birds. It allows them to bite prey after capture. Their mouths contain glands that produce cephalotoxins, the strength and deadliness of which varies between species. These cephalotoxins, which are also used as a defence mechanism, are released into the water where the octopus has trapped its prey. The toxins diffuse into the prey’s gills, preventing it from struggling.
Octopuses have tongue like structures called a radula. These are covered in hundreds of small, sharp teeth like structures that can replace themselves overtime. The teeth break down the food to be mixed with enzymes and the prey is then swallowed.
To reach the oesophagus, the food must pass through a tube in the brain, since the brain is shaped like a doughnut! Unfortunately, this means that any drastic temperatures or overly large pieces of food can actually cause brain damage.
If the stomach is full, the food is stored in an organ called a crop. When ready, the food travels from here to the stomach where enzymes produced by the liver further break down the prey into digestible nutrients to be absorbed by the blood.
The octopus has a single tube for the intestine, unlike humans who have both large and small intestines, connecting the stomach to the siphon. The siphon's structure causes an octopuses waste to be excreted in a noodle shape!
REFERENCES
Octopus, Squid and Cuttlefish: A Visual Scientific Guide to the Ocean's Most Advanced Invertebrates - 2018
By Louise Allcock, Mike Vecchione, and Roger T. Hanlon
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2017.00355/full - 2017
Frontiers
Date Published: 4th September 2023
Reviewed: 14th December 2023
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